Basketball Game Preview: Desert Hills Thunder vs. Pine View Panthers

Two dominant guards in Ben Chase and Jelani Odjegba are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Desert Hills Thunder are taking a road trip to challenge the Pine View Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Desert Hills is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.3 points per game this season.

Last Friday, Desert Hills didn't have quite enough to beat Crimson Cliffs and fell 63-61. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Thunder have suffered against the Mustangs since February 3, 2021.

Desert Hills might have lost, but man, Jack Openshaw was a machine: he dropped a double-double on 22 points and 13 boards. Those 13 rebounds gave Openshaw a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Chase, who went 5 for 8 en route to 12 points.

Even though they lost, Desert Hills smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in three consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Pine View was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 55-51 to Dixie.

Desert Hills dropped their record down to 11-10 with the defeat, which was their third straight at home. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.3 points per game. As for Pine View, their loss dropped their record down to 13-7.

Desert Hills came up short against Pine View in their previous matchup last Wednesday, falling 56-52. Can Desert Hills avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.